Attorney General Lisa Madigan Won’t Run For 5th Term
Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced Friday she would not seek re-election in 2018. Courtesy Illinois Attorney General's Office
The Chicago Democrat made the announcement Friday, reversing previous public statements that she'd run again in 2018.
In the statement she says it's time to seek a "new challenge."
Madigan wasn't immediately available for interviews and didn't detail her future plans.
She briefly considered a gubernatorial run four years ago but announced that she'd seek re-election instead.
She's the daughter of longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and in a 2013 statement said the state wouldn't be "well-served by having a governor and speaker of the House from the same family."
Michael Madigan says in a statement that his daughter has always stood up for what's right and he's proud of her personal and professional accomplishments.
The Illinois Republican Party says Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan's decision not to seek re-election is a sign the Madigan family brand is "toxic."
In a statement, the Illinois GOP notes House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie also said this week she won't run again. Spokesman Aaron DeGroot says it's an indication "the Madigan brand is toxic for every single Illinois Democrat."
Lisa Madigan has easily won re-election the past three terms.
The Republican party-backed candidate for attorney general is Urbana attorney Erika Harold.